STOCKTON - The wait finally ended for Pacific men's soccer coach Ryan Jorden on Wednesday morning when his team gathered for its first practice at Brookside Field.

It was the first of many looks Jorden will get at his 23 players, as he figures out his starting 11 by the Aug. 20 exhibition opener against Dominican at Knoles Field. After abandoning men's soccer in 1985, Pacific is reviving the program as part of last year's shift to the West Coast Conference.

"After a year and 12 days of being on the job, getting to a point where we could be here is so exciting," Jorden said. "It's fun to have the whole group in one place and I saw quality and characteristics in the first session that were encouraging."

Jorden said much of camp will focus on conditioning and maintaining possession. The coach said it sounds simple, but the Tigers will be overmatched if they don't develop the ability to retain the ball.

Jorden said every starting position is open and he's eager to see who will step forward during training camp, which will include two-a-days until classes start on Aug. 25. The players were slowly adjusting to their surroundings on the pitch after two days of meetings and getting to know each other.

"The pace is way faster than it was for me (at Santa Rosa)," said midfielder Keenan Whyte, who transferred to Pacific as a junior. "No player is slacking off, so I feel welcomed in a sense, because I'm like every other guy here. The competition is tough, but I'd like to be in the starting 11."

The day was especially meaningful for Stockton native David Molina, who graduated from Weston Ranch and played at Delta where he was named a second-team All-Big 8 Conference defender last fall.

"It's a great honor being a local kid, representing Stockton and the community," Molina said. "All 23 of us are on the same page and we all want to win and work hard. We're here to compete at the highest level."

Molina expects his parents, Eduardo and Monica Guadalupe, to be regulars at Knoles Field this season, which is something Jorden wants to turn into a tradition.

"We know there's a lot of talent in the valley and we're going to work on cultivating and access that talent," Jorden said. "We want the best local players playing for us. The opportunity here for us is pretty unique."

The Tigers will be tested as a startup program and full member of the WCC, after initial plans had them playing a Division I schedule this season before entering the conference in the fall of 2015. Jorden said the opportunity to create new rivalries immediately excites him and his players.

"We know it's going to be a challenge, but we're up for it," said sophomore midfielder Julio Cervantes, who transferred from Merritt College, where he had 20 goals last fall. "If everyone puts in the work, we'll have a chance, even against tough competition."

Contact reporter Jagdip Dhillon at (209) 546-8292 or jdhillon@recordnet.com. Follow him at recordnet.com/sportsblog and on Twitter @JagRecordSports.